Photo by Daniel Freel/New Jersey Herald -
Kathy Member, R.N. and owner/administrator of Above the Rest Home Care, sits next to her daughter and office administrator, Kacie Member, as they discuss the new business.

SPARTA -- As the age of Sussex County residents increases, so, too, does the need for experienced medical care.

Kathy Member, with the help of her daughter Kacie and other medical professionals in the area, is offering a family-owned option that emphasizes personalized interaction, with Above the Rest Home Care, located just off Route 15 on Lafayette Road in Sparta.

The business, which opened Jan. 3, is a homecoming of sorts for Member, a Lake Hopatcong resident who operated All Quality Care in Newton from 1995 to 2009. All Quality Care -- with its three other New Jersey branches in Bloomfield, Flemington and Washington -- had expanded to cover roughly half the state by 2009, when Member started the original Above the Rest in Milford, Pa.

"Since then she's had a lot of people call and ask her to come back to New Jersey," Kacie Member said of her mother, "and so this is kind of our reopening, letting them all know, ‘Yes, we are back now.'"

Unlike many other senior care options, the services of Above the Rest take place primarily at the clients' homes. Those receiving care do not visit the Sparta office for treatment; rather, nurses and aides hired out by the company travel to the patients to provide care and also run errands and transport them if necessary.

Another facet, which Kathy Member claimed is not offered by most other care facilities, is geriatric care, in which employees help patients and their families through the often-complicated health care system to find a specific plan that suits them.

"A lot of times, the family caregivers, they're trying their best to get by, but in the end they just don't know which way is up and which way to turn and what to do," said Marysa Krause, a geriatric care manager with Above the Rest.

Krause offers a more in-depth assessment than a typical health care provider, she explained, and she can more effectively guide her clients in whatever comes next in their respective processes.

"It's kind of a good balance, especially with a company like this," Krause said. "If we can't help them (here), we can still help them find the next step, so I think it's a good aspect to our company because we're going to help them regardless."

Kathy Member said Above the Rest is also "branching out" into intravenous therapy.

The treatment involves administering fluids directly into a patient's vein for hydration and is often used to help people with Lyme disease or a bone infection called osteomyelitis, she said.

The Milford branch of Above the Rest will remain in operation, with Krause and the Members, along with nursing supervisor Joan Wilson and scheduler Rhonda Allen, spending time in both Sparta and Milford. Kathy Member has built up clientele at the new building, in part, by reaching out to people she knew from her days operating All Quality Care, who have largely been quick to jump on board.

"They feel comfortable," Kathy Member said. "They know if they give Rhonda an intake, she'll get it scheduled, and they know they'll be well taken care of."

Above the Rest is looking to attract additional customers with an open house Saturday, Oct. 20, from noon to 3 p.m., at the Sparta location. The event will give guests an opportunity to meet the employees and learn more about the services they offer, Kacie Member said. Hors d'oeuvres will be available as well.

Kathy Member said Above the Rest will likely receive accreditation from the state in the next four to five months, and the business is also going to apply for a Medicaid license by then so they can help residents only covered by that program. The owner added that she is hoping to eventually expand with a satellite office in Morris County as well.

Based on her future plans, Kathy Member is confident Above the Rest will continue to grow as the county becomes more acquainted with it. Her daughter is equally optimistic, noting that the personalization often lacking in home care has been and will continue to be one of the company's main assets.

"What sets us apart from everybody else is that we are family-owned and operated; we aren't a franchise," Kacie Member said. "In this area there's an influx of home care agencies, but they're all franchises, so you really don't get the personal experience that you can get with us. We go above and beyond for all of our clients, and it's really a personalized experience with us."

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For more information on Above the Rest Home Care, call the office at 973-940-2400 or visit www.abovetherestcare.com.

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